Parliament wants to increase the number of MEPs to reflect demographic changes since 2019. In June 2023, a year ahead of the European elections planned for 6-9 June 2024, MEPs proposed the allocation of seats for each country in the next Parliament. The proposal is to increase the number of MEPs, from the current 705 […]
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MEPs see “strong indications” that the governments of Morocco and Rwanda have spied on high-profile EU citizens
Based on a year-long investigation into the use of Pegasus and equivalent surveillance spyware, MEPs argue that the illicit use of spyware has put “democracy itself at stake” and call for credible investigations, legislative changes and better enforcement of existing rules to tackle abuse. The resolution was adopted with 411 votes in favour, 97 against, […]
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Council and European Parliament agree on rules to digitalise the visa procedure
Council negotiators and the European Parliament have provisionally agreed on rules to digitalise the visa procedure. The regulation introduces the possibility to apply for a visa online and replaces the current visa sticker with a digital visa. The goal of the proposal is twofold: to make the visa application procedure more efficient and to improve […]
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EU-US Critical Minerals Agreement
The European Commission has adopted its negotiating directives for a Critical Minerals Agreement (CMA) with the United States. The objective is to foster EU-US supply chains in critical raw materials needed in the production of electric vehicle batteries. In 2022 alone, the EU exported €8.3 billion worth of critical raw materials relevant to this industry. […]
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MEPs call for new rules to avoid the exploitation of trainees across the EU
Parliament urges the Commission to propose legislation to ensure the quality of traineeships across the EU. On Wednesday, plenary adopted with 404 votes in favour, 78 against and 130 abstentions a report calling on the Commission to propose a directive on Quality Traineeships and to update the existing Quality Framework for Traineeships. According to MEPs, […]
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EU makes progress in fish stock recovery but more effort needed
The overall sustainability of the EU fisheries has improved and fewer stocks are overfished, according to a Commission’s Communication ‘Sustainable fishing in the EU: state of play and orientations for 2024′. At the same time, more efforts are necessary to ensure the resilience of fishing activities and continuous improvement of the fish stocks status. The Commission’s Communication is based on independent scientific assessments. This communication outlines […]
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MEPs want more ambitious EU support for outermost regions
With 589 votes against 22 and 16 abstentions, MEPs adopted their position on Commission´s strategy for outermost regions. Individual action plans and resources Parliamentarians want EU policy to focus more on competitiveness and provide for a tailor-made approach reflecting the needs of each outermost region as current policies do not consider their specificities sufficiently. They […]
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EU and Argentina step up cooperation on raw materials
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the President of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a partnership between the EU and Argentina on sustainable raw materials value chains. In line with the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, the agreement aims to ensure the development of a secure and sustainable supply of raw […]
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Water quality in Spanish bathing areas is higher than European average
The majority of Europe’s bathing areas met the European Union’s strictest “excellent” quality standards in 2022, according to the latest annual bathing water report published on Friday. The assessment, produced by the European Environment Agency (EEA) in cooperation with the Commission, points out where bathers can find the cleanest bathing areas in Europe this summer. […]
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